Dear Editor,

As is customary throughout the world, the month of June is known as Pride month. This is a time when people of the LGBTQ+ community come together to celebrate their strength, courage, and unity as a collective. Like other repressed groups, the LGBTQ+ community has experienced social, employment, and political discrimination as well as violence.

In fact, transgender and nonconforming people are disproportionately represented as victims of violent crimes, the majority of whom are people of colour. With the increasing prevalence of Pride over the years, it, undoubtedly, gives hope for a future where lesbians, gays, trans and non-binary, gender non-conforming, and queer individuals are accepted for who they are and receive less hate and discrimination for expressing and affirming their true identities.

For decades, the trans community, in particular, has been seen as merely a set of gyrating, confused homosexuals who wear wigs and are nothing but a nuisance to society. Sadly, this assumption is still embedded in the minds of some members of today’s society as trans people face higher levels of discrimination and vulnerability, ranging from inadequate access to social services, such as health care and education; unemployment; homelessness; discrimination; violence; and so on. However, with the work of organisations that are actively engaging in trans advocacy, such as TransWave Jamaica and the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (JFLAG), we are in a much better place than we were 10-15 years ago. Nonetheless, there is still much more work to be done to get Jamaica to a place where trans, and by extension LGBTQ+ individuals, can live and exist freely without hate or discrimination, in addition to being afforded the same rights and privileges as the ordinary Jamaican.

Now, in the struggle to create a safer country for its most at-risk and disenfranchised community, Pride is slowly becoming commonplace in Jamaica, with our own tailored and mirrored version of the international concept.

Currently, in Jamaica, it is safe to say that Pride has made major strides and garnered much more publicity when compared to previous stagings, especially with the support and partnership of mainstream media and dancehall figures. Similarly, the influence of globalisation and popular culture has had a significantly positive effect on how Pride is branded, promoted, supported, and received locally these days.

According to contemporary research, visibility is the key to overcoming homophobia and transphobia in Jamaica, and as such, Pride is crucial in this regard as it promotes greater tolerance for and acceptance of LGBT individuals. It may also be said that, over the years, the event has brought unprecedented visibility to the LGBTQ+ community.

Pride is therefore a time for us to celebrate proud, resilient LGBTQ+ individuals who continue to break societal stereotypes and strive for equality, equity, and justice. The synergy and cohesiveness which is shared and seen as the community celebrates have been a major part of how the event’s dynamic has survived.

Whilst we crave greater tolerance and acceptance of the community, we also affirm a more holistic response toward empowering and sensitising stakeholders about the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ Jamaicans and to chart a way for a more just and inclusive Jamaica.

Lamar Grant

Policy, advocacy and research officer

TransWave Jamaica

lamar@transwaveja.org